Volcano Visitor Center Gestastofa by Haisheng Xu

Volcano Visitor Center Gestastofa by Haisheng Xu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award í bronsi in Arkitektúr, bygginga- og mannvirkjahönnun Competition Category.

BronsArkitektúr· 2026

Volcano Visitor Center Gestastofa

by Haisheng Xu

Client: Studio 0

A' Design Award í bronsi Winner in Arkitektúr Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Volcano Visitor Center Gestastofa

Eldfjallagestastofan er gestastofa á Íslandi sem miðlar jarðfræðilegum, sögulegum og menningarlegum upplýsingum um íslensk eldfjöll. Byggingin er um 678 fermetrar (7.300 ferfet) að stærð og er felld inn í eldfjallalandslagið, þar sem neðanjarðarrými tengjast mótuðu þaklandslagi. Efnisvalið er einfalt og samanstendur af steinsteypu, málmi og gleri, með grænu þaki sem hannað er til að styðja við staðbundinn gróður. Stikafræðileg (parametrísk) hönnunarverkfæri mótuðu bogadregna formið en héldu jafnframt rökréttri rúmfræði. Umferðarflæði leiðir gesti til að upplifa sjóndeildarhringinn, landið og náttúruna.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award í bronsi

Volcano Visitor Center Gestastofa vann A' Design Award í bronsi, mjög virta viðurkenningu sem veitt er framúrskarandi hönnunarverkum sem einkennast af sköpunargáfu, hugvitssemi og skarpskyggni. Sigurvegarar í bronsi eru ríkulega leiknir og áberandi skapandi gripir sem staðfesta víðtæka reynslu, ímyndunarafl og útsjónarsemi hönnuða sinna. Þess er vænst að Volcano Visitor Center Gestastofa sé mjög metinn, dáður og elskaður hlutur sem er einstaklega fagmannlegur og nýstárlegur. Þetta hönnunarverk sem vann A' Design Award í bronsi felur í sér bestu starfsvenjur í list, vísindum, hönnun og tækni og er framúrskarandi fyrir athygli sína á smáatriðum. Volcano Visitor Center Gestastofa fullnægir þörfum á dásamlegan hátt, snertir langanir, heillar tilfinningar og vekur forvitni.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Embedded within the volcanic terrain, the project dissolves the boundary between building and landscape, offering a continuous journey of light, earth, and horizon. By uniting subterranean shelter with sculpted roofscape, it transforms architecture into an environmental mediator that preserves the site while intensifying experience, inviting visitors to inhabit nature not as observers, but as participants in its elemental presence.
Dimensions & Packaging: 7,300 square feet.
Tags: Sustainability, Landscape Architecture, Mobius,Parametric, Curvilinear
Production Technology: The building is intended to use local materials and minimize its impact on the existing landscape. The material palette is kept simple, consisting of concrete, metal, and glass, with a green roof designed to support local plants. Parametric design tools were used to create a dynamic form responding to the organic landscape while maintaining rational geometry and production control. View and lighting analyses were also used to verify the design outcomes.
Design Challenge: The creative challenge was to create a manmade form that responds to the existing landscape and site language without simply mimicking nature. The design philosophy explores how humans, while adapting to nature, interpret and reshape the surrounding environment to achieve a new balance that can sustain human life in a sustainable and long-lasting way.
Research: The research focused on two main aspects. The first examined how volcanic activities have shaped Iceland’s landscape and human activities. It was particularly inspiring to understand how volcanoes and the hidden underground world provide fertile soil and geothermal heat for life, while many human activities and habitats are partially or fully embedded underground. The second aspect studied the geometries and forms generated by volcanic activities.
Inspiration: Iceland’s settlement history is shaped by volcanic forces and the landscapes and energy they generate. The vast horizontal terrain fosters a close relationship between human life and the earth. Inspired by volcanic forms and the mystery of the underground, the design reinforces this connection by integrating surface and subterranean space. It invites visitors to reflect on nature as they experience the expansive horizon.
Project Duration: 2025, Iceland
Operation Flow: The design serves as a tourist center introducing geological, historical, and cultural information about Icelandic volcanoes, showing how volcanic activities have shaped Iceland’s environmental and social landscapes. The concept originates from volcanic terrain, particularly exploring the interface between the ground surface and the underground. Around this interface, the building's circulation guides visitors to experience the horizon, the land, and nature.
Team Members: Haisheng Xu